Pentagon: May Kill Freed Afghan Detainees

Pentagon: We May Kill Freed Afghan Detainees

Threatens to 'Hunt Down' Detainees If They Oppose Foreign Forces

by Jason Ditz

Lawfully released by the Afghan government on Thursday, 65 detainees who were held for years by the US military at Bagram could find themselves targets again at any time, officials say.

While Rear Admiral John Kirby insisted the 65 “are not considered targets right now,” he also said that “every day we continue to go after enemies in Afghanistan” and that “nothing’s going to change about that.”

Of the 65, Kirby claimed the US had “strong evidence on all of them” and remains angry about the release of the detainees. Afghan courts said there was no credible evidence against those released, and reports have suggested that much of the US “evidence” amounted to the Pentagon just claiming the men were obviously guilty.

Officials suggested that anything the 65 men do to oppose the foreign forces would make them “legitimate enemies and legitimate targets,” giving the Pentagon an excuse it seems eager for to move against them.

http://news.antiwar.com/2014/02/14/pentagon-we-may-kill-freed-afghan-detainees/